in thinking 'actually, I don't want my 4 yr old dd to see this pornographic fucking shite?

[onebatmother]

Oh just what I wish my children to see when we go and buy icecreams

It was on the lowest shelf (ground-level) with the other papers. DD (4) and DS (8) were transfixed, as you would expect.

I complained, asked Newsagent Man if he agreed it was was pornographic, and whether he would like his small children to see it. Newsagent man shrugged "yes, and no. But it's a paper..."
Me: "So someone makes you put it there?"
Him: "No but."
Me: "You are responsible for where things are displayed in this shop. You put it out of sight of children. Until then, I won't buy anything from this shop. I will be spreading the word."

Really, I was very, very angry.

Brilliant post webdude

I absolutely think this could go somewhere if taken up properly.

I don't think Waitrose stock these magazines or the daily sport and as someone already said M&S don't in their stores only in the petrol franchises.

But we know for sure so far that: Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and the Co-op do. Anyone know about Morrisons?

lol choufleur

It would make a brilliant poster. The picture off the Daily Sport and 'this is not just porn, this is M&S porn' underneath

i saw something a few months back about Dr Linda Papadopolis (sp?) and trying to stop the sexualisation of our society

• lads mags position in newsagents and the proliferation of them, normalising all this
• music videos not subject to classification, shown anytime of day, no censorship
• tarty clothes sold to small children

etc etc

wonder where she got with it. i was very pleased with her at the time but it all seems to have gone quiet.

Thanks for finding those details WBW

lets get to it!

Can we have a standard letter to copy and paste from?
I'm no good at writing these things myself.

YANBU

Will be back later when I have more time.

ditto MmeLindt

shallishanti - are they really likely to do so?

dittany - why restrict such a campaign to MN? If it went outside to 38degrees.org.uk it would be open to anyone who disliked these trashy mags, and be spread via e-mail, Twitter, etc, which would mean collaboration {and thus more support} rather than attempting to go it alone...

It's one thing to "go it alone" but shutting out others of a similar view does a campaign few favours, in my view.

Isn't there already a long running campaign -called Shelve It ?

Have not read entire thread (for once, sorry, its usually my biggest bugbear) and it may have been mentioned on the thread already - but just wanted to make sure any new campaign wouldn't be muddying the waters.

Ah... things have been moving quickly since I last looked in... Thanks wizbitwaffle for gathering the info.

I don't have any Morrisons near me, so can someone confirm whether they also sell these lads mags at a level where youngsters can see them?

As for Asda, myself and others have seen them covered up, so they have made some effort.

As for a 'standard letter' to copy and paste, and as for making it possible to send e-mail to one or more of these, it seems to me that it would a bad idea for each of us to send e-mail to every firm - for example, I would not be happy to complain to Esso, BP or Morrisons as I don't visit any of them.

I go back to the suggestion of seeing if 38degrees.org.uk could help. I think it would be able to offer the use of draft messages (where one has the text placed into a form and can edit it to suit the sender) and be able to select which should receive your e-mail (so I would avoid BP, Esso, etc).

Also, it would make sense to be sure all the big chains are included - I don't suppose Sainsburys have these lads mags, but do any of the smaller outlets (Sainsbury's Local) sell them? Same for Tesco Express ? {disadvantage of not being in a big town and not driving is that I've not been in many of these!!)

The firms I put forward were off the top of my head, rather than properly researched, so if there are other stores (Spar shops, perhaps) or shops which are regional, it would be good to get a more detailed list so all can be contacted en masse.

bibbitybobbityhat - good point - must admit not having heard of 'Shelve It' (and have spent 20 minutes hunting with no joy so far) - but had known of Object (however, having seen a video some months back, their approach is fine when it comes to 'action' at one shop, but might not scale up very well).

However it would seem that despite a voluntary code (dating back to 2006 from the Object website), existing campaigns have not stopped the shops, and clearly while a few rebels might deliberately ignore the 'required' layout on shelves, it needs something more to make the bean counters and CEOs to sit up and take notice.

As they don't like being held to account, the more embarrassment the better. If a store sees a link between a campaign and (say) a 10% drop in sales, I think they will take even more notice than some bad publicity in the media.

YANBU!

My family boycotted a shop once till the shop owner moved the risque magazines et al to the highest shelf... it worked...

Good for you!

Hi Wizbit, Thats a really good idea having the contact details on the thread, what would realy help along with that would be a letter that we can copy and paste onto an email to send to them!

Anyone good at writing letters?

The easier is is to send a complaint the more peple will do it..........

I'm definitely up for this. A bit tied up tomorrow but will give letter a bash first thing Tues if no-one's done it in the meantime.

What points do we want to make?

Ah, fantastic onebatmother - I'm greatly reasured that i ma not th eonly one who behaves as you do in this situation! YANBU unless the likes of you and me continue to make a fuss, on the bottom shelf it will stay...

Yay WBW will definately get on to this...

Don't know if this will help anyone who finds writing letters difficult, but I have a fairly simple structure which I usually use (without realising it) which works quite well:

1.the factual bit
eg 'In the Co-op yesterday I saw....'
'I understand that BP garages are displaying....'

1. and this matters because:

'I find these images degrading and I do not want to be confronted with them every time I go to buy a pint of milk', or 'I do not want my children to be exposed to them'

1. what you would like them to do:

'I would like your assurance that newspapers with such images will not be displayed at a low level in future' 'I would like you to reconsider your policy on this' 'I would like you to stop selling publications with images that degrade women'

1. and if you don't, the consequence will be:

'I will not be shopping at the Co-op while these newspapers remain in their current position'

1. (optional)

And this should matter to you because: 'I use the Co-op as my main source of groceries and spend approx £100 a week there' 'I have always considered your brand to be an ethical one but this seems to bring this into question'

lots of love, SethStarkaddersMum xxxxxxxxx

hope this helps someone!

I went into my local One Stop supermarket yesterday and The Daily Sports were on a top shelf and had been turned round so the back page was outermost. Someone had beaten me to it and I think it was the management. BTW, we get loads of schoolkids in the shop.

If youngsters were constantly and deliberately shown these types of images at home they would be on the 'at risk' register quicker than you can say Social Services.

Thank you Seths Mum!
Have just used your template to write to Sainsburys at

J Sainsburys
33 Holborn
London EC1N 2HT (not on the earlier list)

And will now write to M&S about porn and their ruddy poster "hello boys" now that really is M&S porn

Marvelous

glad it was useful AppleTreeWick (and especially glad it was you it was useful to as you are my current MN heroine after that Ray Mears/Justin Fletcher post)

OOOOH! Well ay thank you Sethsmum! Am blushing.

But seriously Ray/Justin or in fangirl terms Raystin or maybe Justay.

I can't decide whether they are separated at birth or just made for each other. Will leave now as have lowered tone enough.